Seat lifter

ABSTRACT

A lifting handle for a toilet seat, consisting of a plate-like flange which can be fastened to the underside of a toilet seat by screws, with a laterally projecting hand grip having tom and bottom ribs in the form of closed loops. The bottom rib depends adjacent the toilet seat so as to act as a splash deflector.

Umted States Patent 1 1 1 11 3,717,884 Mantooth Feb. 27, 1973 1 1 SEATLIFTER 911,942 2/1909 [76] Inventor: Charles P. Mantooth, 2011 MagnoliaAve. NE, Knoxville, Tenn. 3,566,421 3/1971 [22] Filed: Aug. 27, 1971[2]] Appl. No.: 175,641

[5 2] U.S. Cl ..4/237, 4/1 [51] Int. Cl. ..A47k 13/00 [58] Field ofSearch ..4/1, 237, 234, 235, 236, 238,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 636,564 11/1899 Russell..4/237 X Primary Examiner-Henry K. Artis Attorney-Berman, Davidson &Berman ABSTRACT 4 Claims, 3. Drawing Figures This invention relates toseat-lifting handle devices, and more particularly to an improved handlefor lifting a toilet seat without the necessity of reaching under theseat to lift it.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved toiletseat lifting device which is relatively simple in construction, which iseasy to install, and which is provided with improved splashdeflectingmeans to deflect liquid splashing from the associated toilet bowl in amanner to prevent soiling of the users clothes by the liquid from thebowl.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved toilet seatlifting handle which is inexpensive to manufacture, which isinconspicuous in appearance when installed, which enables the user toeasily raise a toilet seat without soiling his hands, and which can becheaply manufactured by mass production methods.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description and claims, and from the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional toilet unit have a seatequipped with an improved lifting handle according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse vertical cross-sectionalview taken substantially on the line 2- 2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the seat-lifting handle shown in FIGS. 1 and2, said view being taken substantially on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings, 1 1 generally designates an improved toiletseat lifting handle according to the present invention. The handle 11comprises a plate-like flange 12, which may be of molded plasticmaterial, or

any other suitable corrosion-resistant material, the member 12 having arelatively wide main portion and converging to the right in width, asviewed in FIG. 3, toward a narrower side portion 13. The wide portion ofthe member 12 is apertured to receive a plurality of fastening screws14, whereby it may be secured to the undersurface of a conventionaltoilet seat 15 adjacent a side edge of the seat in the manner shown inFIG. 2, namely, with the narrower side portion 13 projecting laterallyoutwardly from the seat.

The side portion 13 is integrally formed with hand grip means comprisingtop and bottom elongated closed-loop ribs 16 and 17, the upper rib 16projecting upwardly from the top surface of the flange portion 13 andthe lower rib 17 depending downwardly from the bottom surface of saidflange portion, the closedloop ribs being identical and being invertical registry. The ribs 16 and 17 are of substantial lengths and arearranged so that their inner arm portions extend adjacent to andsubstantially parallel to the side edge of the associated toilet seat 15when the handle device is in- I stalled, for example, in the mannerillustrated in FIGS.

1 and 2, namely, in a manner so that the hand grip portion projectslaterally from the toilet seat.

With the device installed in the manner above described, it will be seenthat the depending elongated closed-loop rib 17 has an inner arm 18which extends substantially parallel to the adjacent side edge of theseat 15 and which depends therebelow, defining a splash-deflectingbaffle element which acts to deflect liquid splashing from theassociated toilet bowl 19 in a downward direction beneath the liftinghandle, and

thereby prevents the user's hands from coming into contact with suchsplashed liquid. Since the closed loop ribs are substantiallycoextensive with the outwardly projecting flange portion 13, thedepending splash-deflecting element 18 is effective for the entire widthof the lifting handle and effectively protects against the user soilinghis hands or clothes from contact with liquid splashed from the toiletbowl 19. As will be readily apparent, the device lll may be installed,so as to project from either side of the associated toilet seat, asdesired.

It will be further noted that the outwardly projecting handle portion ofthe device has rounded edges, and all outwardly projecting surfaces aresmoothly rounded so as to prevent clothing from catching on saidoutwardly projecting handle portion. Likewise, because of its roundedexposed surface, the handle is easy and comfortable to grip and can beeasily and efficiently cleaned. Because of its plate-like construction,the device also serves as a baffle to prevent exposure of the usershands or clothes to vapor from the toilet bowl as well as splashedliquid therefrom.

While a specific embodiment of an improved toilet seat lifting handledevice is disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understoodthat various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occurto those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that nolimitations be placed on the invention except defined by the scope ofthe appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a toilet seat having a flat bottom surface, alifting handle comprising a plate-like flange secured to the outermargin of said bottom surface and having a portion projecting laterallyoutwardly from the seat, and hand grip means on the outwardly projectingportion of said flange, said hand grip means including a dependingelement of substantial length extending alongside and adjacent to theedge of the seat and acting as a splash deflector, said dependingelement being in the form of a rib shaped as a closed elongated loophaving an inner arm extending substantially parallel to said edge of theseat.

2. The structural combination of claim 1, and wherein said dependingelement extends substantially parallel to the edge of the seat.

3. The structural combination of claim 1, and wherein said hand gripmeans includes another rib in the form of a closed elongated loop formedon and upstanding from the top surface of "the flange, identical withand opposite to the depending closed loop rib on the bottom surface ofsaid outwardly projecting portion.

4. The structural combination of claim 3, and wherein said flangeconverges outwardly in width and the closed loop ribs are substantiallycoextensive with v the outwardly projecting portion of the flange.

1. In combination with a toilet seat having a flat bottom surface, alifting handle comprising a plate-like flange secured to the outermargin of said bottom surface and having a portion projecting laterallyoutwardly from the seat, and hand grip means on the outwardly projectingportion of said flange, said hand grip means including a dependingelement of substantial length extending alongside and adjacent to theedge of the seat and acting as a splash deflector, said dependingelement being in the form of a rib shaped as a closed elongated loophaving an inner arm extending substantially parallel to said edge of theseat.
 2. The structural combination of claim 1, and wherein saiddepending element extends substantially parallel to the edge of theseat.
 3. The structural combination of claim 1, and wherein said handgrip means includes another rib in the form of a closed elongated loopformed on and upstanding from the top surface of the flange, identicalwith and opposite to the depending closed loop rib on the bottom surfaceof said outwardly projecting portion.
 4. The structural combination ofclaim 3, and wherein said flange converges outwardly in width and theclosed loop ribs are substantially coextensive with the outwardlyprojecting portion of the flange.